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Deep 3D thermal modelling for the city of Berlin (Germany)

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Abstract

This study predicts the subsurface temperature distribution of Germany’s capital Berlin. For this purpose, a data-based lithosphere-scale 3D structural model is developed incorporating 21 individual geological units. This model shows a horizontal grid resolution of (500 × 500) m and provides the geometric base for two different approaches of 3D thermal simulations: (1) calculations of the steady-state purely conductive thermal field and (2) simulations of coupled fluid flow and heat transport. The results point out fundamentally different structural and thermal configurations for potential geothermal target units. The top of the Triassic Middle Buntsandstein strongly varies in depth (159–2,470 m below sea level) and predicted temperatures (15–95 °C), mostly because of the complex geometry of the underlying Permian Zechstein salt. The top of the sub-salt Sedimentary Rotliegend is rather flat (2,890–3,785 m below sea level) and reveals temperatures of 85–139 °C. The predicted 70 °C-isotherm is located at depths of about 1,500–2,200 m, cutting the Middle Buntsandstein over large parts of Berlin. The 110 °C-isotherm at 2,900–3,700 m depth widely crosscuts the Sedimentary Rotliegend. Groundwater flow results in subsurface cooling the extent of which is strongly controlled by the geometry and the distribution of the Tertiary Rupelian Clay. The cooling effect is strongest where this clay-rich aquitard is thinnest or missing, thus facilitating deep-reaching forced convective flow. The differences between the purely conductive and coupled models highlight the need for investigations of the complex interrelation of flow- and thermal fields to properly predict temperatures in sedimentary systems.

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Abbreviations

c () :

Solid or fluid heat capacity (kJ kg−1 K−1)

D :

Thermodispersivity tensor (m2 s−1)

g :

Gravity force (m s−2)

I :

Unit tensor (–)

k :

Permeability tensor of the porous medium (m2)

p :

Pressure (Pa)

S :

Rock radiogenic heat production (μW m−3)

t :

Time (s)

T :

Temperature (°C or K)

Q () :

Fluid and solid mass source-sink term (kg m−3 s−1)

q :

Darcy velocity (m s−1)

\(\in\) :

Porosity, void space fraction (–)

λ () :

Fluid, solid or bulk thermal conductivity (W m−1 K−1)

ρ () :

Fluid or solid density (kg m−3)

μ :

Fluid dynamic viscosity (Pa s)

\(\nabla\) :

Nabla operator [m−1]

b:

Bulk (liquid + solid)

l:

Liquid phase

s:

Solid phase

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank GTN Geothermie Neubrandenburg, LBGR Brandenburg, Senatsverwaltung Berlin, and GASAG Berlin for their support and for providing diverse data sets including core data and drilling reports. Especially, we would like to acknowledge Berliner Erdgasspeicher GmbH for allocating stratigraphic information from the well E Berlin 1/70. Many thanks go also to Inga Moeck for fruitful discussion on the Berlin subsurface geology and to Christoph Wehner for his technical help in completing this manuscript. This study was co-funded by the European Union in the framework of the Climate Knowledge and Innovation Centre of the European Institute of Technology (EIT Climate-KIC) projects Energy Atlas Berlin and Neighbourhood Demonstraters.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. GeoForschungsZentrum Potsdam (GFZ), Telegrafenberg, 14473, Potsdam, Germany

    Judith Sippel, Sven Fuchs, Mauro Cacace, Oliver Kastner, Ernst Huenges & Magdalena Scheck-Wenderoth

  2. Wintershall Holding GmbH, EXX, New Exploration Opportunities, 34119, Kassel, Germany

    Anna Braatz

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  1. Judith Sippel
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Correspondence to Judith Sippel.

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Sippel, J., Fuchs, S., Cacace, M. et al. Deep 3D thermal modelling for the city of Berlin (Germany). Environ Earth Sci 70, 3545–3566 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-013-2679-2

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